Royal Woes
by Tundra Girl
Summary: "So what, you wanna hook him up with someone else?" It was a horrible idea, especially since it came from Garfield Logan, but it was something to start with. It might not succeed, might even prove to be a disaster, but Victor was willing to do anything for his prince. If he can pull a miracle, he will. All for his prince. "Why not?"
1. Chapter 1

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Hello! Hello! I bring you another creation from yours truly, TundraGirl. But first, let me extend my sincerest thanks to **1quintisfan, Abby6666, Lilac Shimmer,** and **Guest** for leaving reviews on my first story, Movie Night. You made my week utterly joyous! And a special shout-out to **Paige the booknerd** and **GalaxyWaffle.** Thank you so very much!

 **DISCLAIMER: TEEN TITANS and all related characters and elements are trademarks of DC Comics.**

 **CHAPTER 1 – For the Prince**

It was the first day of spring. The sun was shining brightly, the birds were singing sweetly, and the flowers were abloom all over the fair kingdom of Gotham.

But the beauty of nature was lost to one Victor Stone as his eyes were set onto a peculiar, yet familiar sight.

At a distance was the crown prince kneeling atop a patch of flowers, conversing animatedly with a girl. The girl was dressed in a lilac gown and her lustrous red hair was braided over one shoulder. She nodded occasionally at the young prince beside her while picking small flowers and linking them into a flower crown. The prince beside her looked especially pleased at being with her as he continued to blabber and look at her with gentle eyes.

Victor might have found this scene endearing, if he wasn't aware of the real score between the two.

"What are you looking at, bro?"

Victor tore his gaze from the scene and looked to the person who plopped down on the grass beside him. It was his best friend, Garfield.

"That," he answered before gesturing to the two people with his lips.

Garfield looked to where he pointed. "Oh. He's at it again?"

"Yeah."

"Is that why we're here instead of training?"

"Yeah," Victor sighed.

Both lapsed into silence as they continued to watch the couple. The prince and the girl continued to speak for a while before she presented the finished flower crown to him. The girl donned a wide grin as she gestured to the boy. Then he bent his head towards her, letting her place the crown atop his head. She clapped in delight, and even though both Victor and Garfield were seated at a distance from the two, they can just see the fierce blush that the prince was sporting at the moment.

Both royal guards continued to observe as the prince took one of the girl's hand into his own and slowly bring it towards his face before placing a chaste kiss on her knuckle. They looked into each other's eyes for a while, lost in their moment.

But only for a moment.

The girl suddenly whipped her head away, seemingly looking for something. And from the other direction, another young man walked towards them, bringing a delightful smile to the girl's face.

The presence brought a frown to the young prince's face.

The intruder was another brunette, tall and lean. He strode towards the pair on the ground with grace and confidence. He kneeled beside the red-haired girl and brought her other hand – not the one the prince held – and kissed it reverently.

The girl's blush was evident even from where Victor and Garfield sat.

Then the intruder said something to the girl to which she nodded vigorously before quickly standing up. The young prince stood as well, slow and defeated. The girl turned to the prince and spoke, to which he answered with a nod and a tired smile. Then the girl turned, took the hand of the other boy, and walked away with him.

Ouch. Victor can feel his own heart breaking.

"That's harsh, dude."

"I know," Vic answered. "We've seen this play a hundred times over and it still stings."

"How much more for him? He's hopeless, man."

Victor deigned not to answer his friend as he kept his eyes on his prince who remained in the standing position the girl left him. He was looking at the direction to which the girl left.

Victor knew a lot of things about his prince. One of the things he knew about was the young man's attraction to Princess Kori of Tamaran. Not that he was the only one who knew about it, it wasn't much of a secret, really. But Vic knew the depth of the prince's affections. He knew that the prince was hopelessly head-over-heels for the princess. He knew the extent of the things the prince does just to please the young lady. And Vic knew just how much the prince hurts whenever his efforts were disregarded.

It wasn't that the princess intentionally dismisses the prince and all that he does to catch her attention. The fact is that Princess Kori was known for her oblivious nature. She was a sheltered little girl and was raised in a different kingdom with a very different culture. So she cannot really be blamed for the usual miscommunication.

Besides, she was already betrothed.

Victor cannot help but sigh, heavily. His heart ached for his prince.

"We gotta do something, Gar."

Garfield quirked an eyebrow at his best friend from his prone position on the ground, "What do you mean?"

"This can't go on forever, man." Victor turned to Gar with a serious face, "I mean the girl's already set to marry another. It's just—"

"Pathetic, I know," Garfield cut off with a frown.

"I was gonna say pointless," Victor retorted.

Garfield shrugged. "Same thing. But what did you mean we gotta do something? What, like, beat some sense into him?"

"You never last three minutes with him in sparring, Gar. What makes you think you can beat anything into him?"

"Hey!"

But Victor ignored him. "What I'm saying is we have to do something about this... obsession. I mean, he knows she's betrothed to another but he's still crushing on her, hard. Plus, the girl's downright ignorant of his affections. He deserves better than that!"

"He's in love, man."

"Love!? What does he know about love? He's fifteen!" Victor was practically yelling.

"Okay, dude, chill!" Gar put both hands in front of him, trying to calm down his excited friend. "I was just saying first loves aren't that easy to forget, y'know."

Victor took a deep breath to calm himself. He looked back towards the flower patch but the prince was nowhere in sight. He's probably retired to his room to sulk.

"Still," Vic sighed. "I hate seeing him so down like that. He should have a better first love, preferably one that is reciprocated."

"So what, you wanna hook him up with someone else?"

Victor's mind registered the statement slowly. Then his eyes slowly widened as a bubble of idea expanded inside his head.

It was a horrible idea, especially since it came from Garfield Logan, but it was something to start with. It might not succeed, might even prove to be a disaster, but Victor was willing to do anything for his prince. If he can pull a miracle, he will, all for his prince.

"Why not?"

 **ROYAL WOES**

Prince Richard opted to have his dinner in his chambers. To Victor, it was an indication that the prince was indeed sulking. It only strengthened his resolve to help him get over his pointless crush.

Victor had a vague draft of a plan in his head but he needed to think it more thoroughly. He doesn't have much access to resources; neither does he have much time to spare. He needed some help, and he needed to think.

So he pulled Gar aside after dinner for a trip out to town. It was a Saturday night and there were no scheduled training for tomorrow. Victor needed to relax to better formulate the plan. And where better to relax than their favorite pub, The Hive.

The place was packed when they got there, as was expected of a Saturday night. But they were favorite customers, thus, they were quickly ushered in and into their usual table. Of course, Jinx met them to take their orders.

"Fancy seeing you two here," the pink-haired waitress greeted with an impish grin. "The usual?"

Victor gave a nod of assent at Jinx and she went on to prepare their drinks.

It was then that Victor noticed Garfield's silence. He turned to the shorter boy and elbowed him gently. "What's with the silence?"

Gar looked up at him. "What? Nothing."

Victor quirked an eyebrow, unconvinced.

Garfield let out a sigh and said, "Really, it's nothing, dude. I just remembered what you said earlier about first loves, and I just remembered Tara."

Victor's eyes softened at the name. Tara was Gar's first love.

"Yeah," Gar continued, "I think I kinda' know that feeling Dick gets whenever he's around Kori."

Victor didn't say anything and simply let his friend reminisce. He also knew much about Garfield and Tara.

They were interrupted as a huge guy appeared beside their table with a tray in hand. Victor looked up and gave a nod, "Hey, Mammoth."

The guy, Mammoth, returned the nod and placed two mugs at their table.

"Thanks, man."

Mammoth nodded again and wordlessly left.

Garfield quickly gulped down his drink, making a sound of satisfaction after. "So, what's the plan?"

Victor opened his mouth to answer but a call of his name interrupted him.

"Victor!"

Both turned to the direction of the voice and saw a red-head walking towards them.

"Roy!"

Roy wore a wide grin while clutching his own mug. He plopped down to an empty seat at the table. "Good to see you here, guys."

"We didn't know you were in town," Victor said.

"Yeah, we're just passing, actually. We're only here for tonight," Roy answered.

"We?" Garfield asked.

Roy gave a nod before gesturing towards the bar. "Wallace."

The other two turned to where Roy pointed and saw another red-head, one with shaggy hair, talking to Jinx. He was talking quite animatedly, his expression a complete contrast to the girl's un-amused face.

"Oi, Wally!" Garfield shouted. "Stop hitting on the bartender and get your butt over here!"

The one named Wally whipped his head over towards them and gave a wave. Then he turned back to the barista, mouthed a few words at her, before quickly sprinting to their table.

"Hey, guys! I didn't know you were here."

Victor smirked at the second red-head. "Does it matter? You're obviously only here for Jinx."

Roy and Gar laughed at the flush on Wally's face.

The next few minutes were spent chatting and exchanging stories between the four boys. Roy and Wally were from outside of Gotham. Roy lived in the small kingdom of Starling. Wally originally lived in Metropolis but at the moment, he is staying in Roy's place while his uncle is doing business with Roy's father.

The four of them met at a get-together hosted by Gotham once. The prince was originally introduced to them, and he in turn introduced them to both Vic and Gar, his personal guards. From then one, all five boys formed a bond of friendship.

After the stories were exhausted, the group settled into a comfortable silence. Then Victor remembered the purpose of this night-out.

"Hey guys, this might sound weird but," Vic started, "Do you know any available ladies you can maybe introduce me to?"

Silence.

Victor knew the question sounded absolutely absurd coming from him but the expression on both red-heads' faces were exaggerated.

Roy found his voice first. "Are you planning to cheat on Karen?"

Victor's eyes popped out. "What!? NO!"

"Then why-"

"I'm not even with Karen!"

"Really?" Roy asked, genuinely curious.

"YES! Where did you even-"

Wally cut in, "We've always thought you two were together."

Victor directed his glare at him. "No!"

"You mean, you haven't confessed to her yet?"

"Ye- I mean, no!"

"Riiiiight~"

Gar decided to save his best friend before he pops his head off his shoulder. "It's for Dick."

At that, Roy and Wally sobered up. "What?"

Victor then related the situation with his prince's dismal love life and his hopeless obsession on the Tamaranian princess. He also told them of his plan.

"So, an intervention," Wally stated.

"Yes!" Garfield agreed. "That's the word, intervention."

"Okay. So you want to find and introduce a girl to li'l Dickie in the hopes of curbing his unrequited love for Kori," Roy said.

"Yes," Victor replied.

Roy sighed. "Poor guy. Can't really blame him, though. Princess Kori is a jewel."

"A jewel who's engaged to Garth," Wally provided.

At the statement, Roy's eyes burned with envy with a tinge of hatred. "Lucky SOB."

"So," Victor finally cut in. "Can you guys help us or what?"

"How do you want us to help you? I've never personally played matchmaker before," Roy stated.

"Well, for starters, do you know any young lady?"

Roy gave a cocky smirk. "Oh, I do know a number."

Victor answered his smirk with a glare, "Someone for Richard."

"Preferably not one of your leftovers," Gar added.

Roy expressed shock at Gar's statement but neither Gar nor Vic wavered in their own expressions. Wally, on the other hand, was in deep thought.

"Does it have to be a princess?" Wally asked.

"Not really," Vic answered, "But you know nobles..."

Roy finally noticed Wally's expression and turned to him, "Why, Wallace, you know any noble lady?"

To everyone's surprise, Wally nodded. "Yeah, I know one."

Victor and Garfield lit up at that. "Is she single?" Vic asked.

"Yep."

"Is she a noble?" Gar asked.

Wally nodded, "She's every bit of a noble."

Roy piped in, "Is she pretty?"

At that, Wally gave a slow turn towards Roy with a meaningful smirk on his usually childish face. He didn't need to say anything, Roy got his meaning clearly.

"Who the heck are you talking about, Wallace?"

Wally leaned over towards Roy and whispered in his ear.

Vic and Gar watched the curious expression on Roy's face wash away as a slow enlightenment overtook it. But just as quickly, it faded into disbelief.

"WHAT!?"

"What?" Both Vic and Gar echoed Roy's outburst.

"Yeah," Wally answered mostly at Roy.

"Are you insane? Do you have a deathwish?"

Despite Roy's crazed reaction, Wally remained calm, looking pleased at himself. "Nope. I'm perfectly sane."

"But—"

"Who is it?" Victor cut off Roy and directed a look at Wally.

Wally opened his mouth to answer but Roy quickly clapped a hand over his face. "No, you loon."

Wally pried Roy's hand away from his mouth. "Why not? She's single, she's a princess, and she's gorgeous! Why not?"

"Because—"

Roy was cut off again.

"Who is it?" Victor asked Wally more intently.

Wally's answer was halted again by Roy's hand. "Wait a sec."

Roy turned the idea over in his head for a few moments. It was insane. She was the last person he'd want to hook up with someone, lest of all, Richard. But Wally made some good points. She was single, probably always has been and always will be, unless this little scheme worked. She was a noble, a princess, heiress to an entire kingdom. And she was a looker.

Alright, fine. She was downright gorgeous.

Still, this might end up bad. Rather than helping Richard, they might end up messing him more with this intervention.

But Richard needed help. And much like Victor, he'd do anything for him, except actually admit that out loud.

And also, the girl...

She kinda needed some help for herself, too.

And that's probably what Wally was building up on.

So, if the plan works, it'll be a win-win situation. They help Richard and they help her.

But if it fails...

He'll just blame it all on Victor.

"You're right, Wally. She's perfect."

Wally beamed, "I know!"

"Guys, you're killing us with the suspense! Who are you talking about?" Garfield gritted from his seat. Beside him, Victor had a constipated look on his face.

Roy and Wally looked at each other for a moment then gave each other a single, resolute nod. They both turned towards the other two – Roy with a confident smirk, Wally with a satisfied smile.

Then both said a single name at the same time. " **Rachel**."

 **To be continued~**


	2. Chapter 2

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Hello, there! It is I, TundraGirl, once again. And I brought an update! To those who clicked on the first chapter and read it until the very last word, you have my utmost gratitude. *bows low* Special thanks are reserved for **Lilac Shimmer, Guest, TuTsXxX, TheDelta724, ficthow, .B** **ored.2** and **Swanaholic** for leaving reviews and putting my humble tale on their Alert and Favorites **.** Alrighty then! Without further ado, I bring you chapter two! Enjoy!

 **DISCLAIMER: TEEN TITANS and all related characters and elements are trademarks of DC Comics.**

 **CHAPTER 2 – Meet the Princess**

Victor was packed and ready by daybreak. He was sitting on his bed, mulling over his mission when a sharp rapping at his door interrupted him. He shook his head to clear the fog and got up to see who it was.

The other side of the door revealed Garfield Logan, fresh and prepped up.

"You look like you actually bathed," Victor teased.

The blonde boy glared. "Of course, I did! We're going princess-hunting. I gotta look presentable!"

Victor laughed at his younger friend as he exited his room. "Do you know where the prince is?"

Garfield gave a small shrug. "It's Sunday, dude. He's with his parents."

"Oh," Victor nodded. "Guess he'll be pretty occupied for the whole day."

Both guards walked along the corridors where their rooms were housed. Being the chosen guards for the prince entitled them to their own quarters in the castle. They traversed the halls in silence, heading towards the stables.

Before they headed out to the gates, they made sure to leave word for the prince of where they were going to be. A visit to Victor's grandmother on the outskirts of town made the perfect excuse.

"I haven't actually visited Nana for a while now," Vic mumbled to himself as he steered his horse out of the stable.

"I love your Nana's pies, man." Garfield piped up while trying to mount his own steed. "Take me when you go see her."

Victor grinned, "Of course."

The two headed out to the town center to make a quick stop at The Hive – their guides were going to be there. When they arrived at the pub, Roy was nursing a cup of coffee while waiting for them, whereas Wallace was finishing his fifth plate of breakfast. Upon seeing that both Gotham guards had arrived, the two redheads quickly gobbled up their meals to head out.

The sun was high up in the sky by the time their small group crossed the border of Gotham.

"So," Garfield began, "About this princess."

Roy shot Gar a prying look, "Yeah?"

"What's she like?"

Victor looked up in interest at the question.

Roy shifted in his saddle. "What we know is that she's Trigon's only daughter and she's around Wally's age. Her identity is pretty hush-hush from the other kingdoms, I mean, we didn't even know about her until we stepped foot in Azarath. But she's a renowned sorceress there. Her people celebrate her skills."

"And you met her, how?" Garfield asked.

"I delivered a birthday gift from the Duke Wilson to her," Wally answered.

"Delivered?" Gar turned to Wally.

The blue-eyed boy smiled. "Just something I do with my uncle. I help him transport stuff here and there, nothing too big."

"So you actually got to speak with her?"

Wally beamed at Garfield, "Of course! She's really nice."

But Roy seemed to disagree with Wally's statement. "You sure about that, Wallace?"

Victor turned a confused look at Roy, "What do you mean?"

"Psh! Don't listen to him. Rachel is nice. Roy's just salty because she blew him off when he spoke to her."

Roy frowned. "She's a cold woman, Wallace."

"You were hitting on her two minutes after you were introduced, Roy." Wally deadpanned. "And in front of her brothers."

"Psh."

"Whaaat? There's a woman who's immune to the legendary charms of Roy Harper?" Garfield tried to hold back his chuckles.

Victor didn't bother holding back his laughter. "That's a good sign of a woman to me."

Roy looked away with a frown. He thought back to the short conversation he had with the Azarathian princess. He was admittedly impressed himself. He has never met anyone who was able to shower him with such causticity as she did. She had the countenance of a goddess yet with a quick wit and a sharp tongue.

"Yep, she'd be perfect for Richard," Roy whispered to himself.

The whole ride towards Azarath was spent exchanging stories and playing I Spy, the latter mostly by Garfield and Wally. They finally reached their destination by noon.

Roy decided that they should grab a quick lunch first. They have yet to finalize their plan. Getting into the palace won't be too hard, seeing as he and Wally had already been there once. Victor and Garfield can just simply say that they are messengers from Gotham. Then there was the part of how to get an audience with the princess.

"That, my friends, would be easy. We brought the stuff," Roy stated. He grabbed his bag and pulled something out, and Wally did the same from his own pack. Then both red-heads uncovered the stuff they have.

Wally had a large book. It looked ancient and extravagant. The hard cover had thin steel edges and a lock in the middle. There were also little gemstones decorating the cover.

On Roy's hand was a golden goblet, embellished with onyx and ruby gems. The other boys gaped at the treasures.

"What are those?" Garfield asked in an awed whisper.

"These are our tickets in. The book is for the princess while the goblet is for her daddy," Roy explained. "We'll say these are gifts from Richard."

"Those look priceless, man." Victor said.

Roy shrugged, "Yeah, but don't worry about it. Consider these our contributions for this mission. We'd love to see how this stunt goes, right, Wallace?"

Wally nodded. "Yessir."

After that, the boys headed to the castle with steeled nerves. The entered the antechamber without incident and after asking a guard for the receiving area, they were promptly escorted through the winding halls and into the appropriate place.

The room was devoid of people, save for a couple of guards by the entrance and another couple on the far wall in front. It was the throne room, it seemed. And upon the throne sat the imposing figure of King Trigon.

King Trigon, or better known as Scath, was a huge man. He had silvery hair that went down to his shoulders and wore a menacing dark and crimson armor. He sat with his head propped up on one hand and looked at them with a displeased expression.

The four stood on their spots awkwardly, looking back at the angry-faced giant.

"Well?"

"G-Greetings, King Trigon!" Victor stepped forward and bowed. "My name is Victor Stone from the kingdom of Gotham. These are my associates," he gestured towards the others behind him, "Garfield Logan, Roy Harper, and Wallace West."

Trigon straightened in his throne. "Gotham? What is this about?"

Garfield stepped up, "We come bearing gifts of... goodwill from our kingdom."

Roy stepped up next to Gar. "An offering to Your Highness and for the Princess Rachel."

"For my daughter?" He quirked an eyebrow and raked his gaze at the four young men. A sinister smirk crept up on his face, "Interesting."

Trigon turned towards one of the guards near the throne. "Summon the princess."

As the guard went to do the bidding, Trigon returned to staring at the young men standing in front of him, obviously terrified at his presence.

He let them quake. He kept his gaze at them, dressing them down and skinning them alive with his eyes. He had a vague idea as to what the gifts could mean and the intentions behind it. He didn't lie when he said it was interesting. His daughter had never received an offer of marriage yet – he had hidden her for a reason. She was his precious jewel, his gem. Yet out of nowhere, these rogues came, bearing gifts for her, and from Gotham no less.

He didn't think there was anyone in Gotham that had the balls to set foot in his kingdom, much more seek his daughter.

"My daughter is a peculiar character," he mused out loud. "I hope Gotham – your prince, knows what he's setting his interests on."

The four boys looked at each other curiously. Before anyone can attempt to say anything, the guard had returned and stationed himself by the corridor to the left to announce the arrival of the princess.

In walked a goddess.

Princess Rachel was a petite girl with a confident gait. She had hair the color of midnight, braided and thrown over one shoulder. She had pale skin that contrasted with the elegant violet dress she wore. She walked gracefully, seemingly gliding on the floors, with her hands clasped in front of her. She halted in front of Trigon and rather than curtsying, she stood straighter and met her father eye to eye.

"Father." Her voice was a sensual alto that rattled the men's bones with its depth.

Trigon smirked at her display. "You have guests, Rachel."

She turned – her eyes were of the deepest blue-violet anyone had ever seen.

She simply stared for a moment, her gaze landing on each of them. Her eyes lingered on the forms of Roy and Wally but she did not make any indication on recognizing them. Then she gave a small inclination of her head, "Gentlemen."

Victor cannot deny it – she was indeed a looker. She looked slight and fragile but her poise and voice hinted strength. She looked intelligent and her aura had the feel of mystery and allure.

Trigon's voice cut in the silence. "They came as emissaries from Gotham. They were sent by their crown prince."

Roy gestured a hand to both Gotham guards and both pulled out the treasures. Victor held the goblet and Garfield held the tome.

"Please accept these gifts from Gotham's Crown Prince, Richard." Victor announced as both he and Gar knelt and presented the gifts to both Azarathian royalties.

Rachel gasped in pleasant surprise at seeing the tome. Trigon looked quite impressed as well, more at the book than the goblet.

The princess stared in disbelief at the gift presented to her. It was one of the rarest books she had always wanted to own. She looked at the kneeling guard that held the tome, "Prince Richard?"

Victor answered, "Yes, Your Highness. My name is Victor Stone and that is Garfield Logan. We were sent by our prince to personally deliver his gift to you."

Rachel looked at Victor, delight shining in her wide eyes. "Thank you, Victor Stone and Garfield Logan." She received the gift from Garfield and ordered him to stand, gently cradling the tome. She opened her mouth to say something more but another voice cut her off.

"What's this? I wasn't told we had guests." A lean figure walked in, decked in dark armor much like Trigon's and donned a playful smile. He marched right up to the king and stood beside the throne. "What's this, Father?"

No one saw the narrowing of Rachel's eyes at the new arrival.

"They're from Gotham," answered Trigon.

The new guy quirked an eyebrow. "Gotham? Really?"

"Yes, and they brought a gift for Rachel," a second voice sounded out of nowhere.

Victor, Garfield, Roy, and Wally looked around for the owner of the voice while Rachel sighed. From Trigon's other side, another boy appeared from the shadows. This one was younger than the first one but had the same ebony hair and dark eyes.

"A gift for Rachel? What for?"

"Courtship, most probably."

"You two, shut up." Rachel snapped, irritation evident on her small face.

"Whaaaaat? Gotham's courting Rae-Rae?"

"Isn't it a surprise?"

"Aww, our little bird's growing up."

Rachel grew redder in the face the more the two boys opened their mouths.

Victor shot a questioning look at Roy. The red-head leaned closer and whispered, "Those are her brothers. The older one's James and the younger one's Jacob."

Victor nodded and continued to watch the bickering amongst the siblings.

"Great, another tome of dark magic. Just what we need, more ammunition for her to use against us." James shot a sour look at the guests, "Thanks, you guys. Really."

"You better improve your own craft, Brother. Rachel might decimate you for good this time."

James gave a light scoff. "Not if she's too busy dating her future hubby~"

"Seriously, James, shut up." Rachel hissed while clutching the tome tighter.

"But sis, I'm excited for you!" James clapped his hand in mock excitement. "This Prince Richard has some balls."

"Who knew right? That someone brave enough to pursue her actually existed." Jacob piped in with a small, teasing smile.

James laughed. "Wait 'til Jared hears this."

"Enough!" And before everyone knew it, James went flying through the walls.

Victor, Garfield, Roy, and Wally froze in shock. They turned towards the direction where the black energy beam came from and their gazes landed on the spot where Princess Rachel stood. But the princess was gone.

Instead, a figure covered in black mist hovered on the spot where the princess had been. The mist surrounded it like a bubble, obscuring its appearance. But from the dark haze, four red eyes peeked out, glowering.

The boys stood petrified, wide-eyed and gaping.

"Tsk. What a way to impress your suitor's messengers, sis." James' voice sounded from the hole in the wall. His dishevelled form appeared from the rubble, calmly dusting himself off.

Jacob was just cackling with laughter from where he stood.

"Your temper's quite unbecoming, sis. You'll scare off the Gotham prince like that." James drawled teasingly.

And he was blasted through the wall again.

The figure cloaked in black mist levitated higher and a violent wind began blowing all around. Victor was mentally panicking while Garfield was more obvious with the way he was a shivering ball on the ground. Roy and Wally were both a mixture of confused and terrified. They were ready to make a run for it if things turned for the worse.

The creature began growling in an inhuman way and a heavy feeling enveloped the room. The tension was beginning to suffocate them.

Then Trigon's stern voice cut in, " **ENOUGH**."

The scene calmed all at once. The wind dissipated and the pressure disappeared, leaving a clear room with the restored Princess Rachel back on her spot. She was still glaring at the hole where she blasted her brother through, and if one looked closer, the outline of an extra pair of eyes were still visible on her forehead.

Jacob stifled his chuckles and eyed the cowering guests in amusement.

"Is it over?" Garfield whispered from behind Victor.

Nobody answered, wary of setting off anything else.

Rachel heaved a sigh. "My apologies," she turned to the guests and frowned. A look of shame shadowed her face and any trace of the creature that she became was gone. "I lost my temper for a moment."

At a loss of what to say, Victor did a quick glance around the room and met Trigon's eyes. They were set on them, sharp and calculating and Victor felt a different kind of dread. Trigon was looking at them, watching how they would react and respond after what they've witnessed. A quick glance to the left showed Jacob looking at them as well with a penetrating gaze not unlike his father.

Trigon stared on and let some red bleed into the whites of his eyes.

"Uh," Victor tried to gather the strength in his knees as he stood up. "It's—It's alright, Your Highness. Don't worry about it."

Roy and Wally straightened up after Victor and tried to smile, albeit it came out strained.

But Rachel wasn't convinced at all. She bit her lower lip to keep them from trembling and bowed her head down in shame.

"What, you Gotham folks shaking in your boots?" James' battered form suddenly appeared beside the contrite Rachel and slung an arm around her shoulders. But the lazy stance came with a glare at their direction. His smirk was playful yet hinted a warning. He was daring them to say anything against his sister's display.

And Victor wasn't stupid not to know that it'd be a bad idea to take the challenge. "No, Your Highness," he shook his head and flashed a bright smile.

The others mumbled their agreement.

Rachel sighed softly and brought her head up to look at them before inclining into a small bow. "Please pardon my display, gentlemen. I should have controlled myself and acted better. That was no way for a princess to act."

"No," Roy shot a disarming smile at the contrite girl. "No need for apologies, My Lady."

"Y-Yeah," Wally chuckled but it came out nervous. "Intense, that was, but no harm done."

Jacob teleported to his sister's other side and discreetly held one of her hands. It was an act of comfort. Because even though they teased her relentlessly, the brothers loved their only sister dearly.

"Let me make it up to you, gentlemen. Please join us for a small feast, as my way of showing appreciation for you bringing your kingdom's gift to us. I would like to learn more of Gotham and of your prince." She gave them a soft smile and it easily dispelled the tension in their bones.

"We'd be honored, Princess Rachel," Victor bowed.

Rachel gave a small nod before turning to face her father. "Father."

"Very well," Trigon answered the unstated request. He turned to one guard and instructed him to inform the kitchen staff to prepare the feast. Then he turned to his children and said, "James, go clean yourself up and fix this wall."

The older son pouted at the extra chore but didn't protest. Trigon turned to his youngest, "Jacob, go find Jared and tell him his presence is requested at the feast."

Jacob gave a curt nod before disappearing out of sight.

"And you, daughter, you may go ahead and prepare. I'll have one of the servants escort the guests to dinner."

Rachel dipped in a graceful curtsy at her father. She turned to address the guests with an incline of her head. "I shall see you at dinner, gentlemen."

 **To be continued~**

 **AN2:** I think I got carried away with this one – too much dialogue. I can't find it in me to cut it off, though. What did you think? Feedback would be very much appreciated.


	3. The Revelation

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** Chapter 3, ya'll! But be warned: (1)This story is not beta'd. I proofread on my own and although I do my best, I'm not 100% confident of my output. So, if you guys see any mistakes in the chapters, feel free to notify me. (2)OOC ahead, I think. But just a little bit… I think. And then, of course, thank-you's given where thank-you's are due: **Ybarra87, miracle vaughn, WimmerSpark, MysteryGirl2401, MrR3DP4ND4, Dahajo, raven-fan14, Meee (Guest),** **Zaacna, Doc250, argent82, kityeekat, ILikeBeinMe, natkyolee,** **Noah.G, MoceJo** and **nathalie llorente r** **eyna.** Your positive reception of my story is much appreciated. And responses to reviews for Chapter 2 are at the end. Alright, I'm done now. Enjoy!

 **DISCLAIMER: TEEN TITANS and all related characters and elements are trademarks of DC Comics.**

 **CHAPTER 3 – The Revelation (or Someone's in Deep, Deep Sh*t)**

"My Lady?" A pair of bright pink eyes peeked over the door and into the room, in search of someone. "Lady Rachel?"

The lady in question sat in front of her vanity desk, staring at her reflection on the large mirror, wide indigo eyes shining with wonder.

The maidservant entered her mistress' bedchamber. She strode towards the center of the room before addressing the young princess who seemed lost in her thoughts. "So, is it true? You have received a proposal from the Prince of Gotham?"

Rachel snapped to attention and turned to her maidservant with a slight blush blooming on her face. "A proposal?"

"Yes," the maidservant nodded and grinned. "The castle is abuzz with the news."

"There is no proposal," Rachel frowned. "It was simply a friendly gift."

The other girl quirked an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Really," Rachel answered firmly, disregarding the meaningful smirk on her maid's face. "Now help me prepare for dinner, Jinx."

"Alrighty then," the maid sing-songed. Jinx strode towards the closet and began rifling for an appropriate dress for her mistress. "Have you ever met the prince, though?"

"Never," Rachel answered.

She had never met any prince before. She had spent all her life in Azarath. More than half of the people she knew were from her kingdom. She only ever met new people during her father's yearly birthday celebration. And even then, only a very few people were introduced to her – mostly old nobles and military officials.

Jinx hmm-ed. "Interesting."

Interesting was one way to put it.

The word 'proposal' kept echoing in Rachel's head. Could it be?

The Gotham guests never said anything about a proposal – didn't even hint at it. The gift was only a sign of goodwill. They even brought a lavish goblet for her father.

Maybe Gotham was just extending a friendly courtesy.

Still.

The girl in her was squirming with delight at the prospect of a proposal, although she'd never admit to it.

Rachel has led a very sheltered life since the day she was born. As a child, the only other kids she got to play with were her brothers and sometimes the castle workers' children. But getting to play with the other kids meant she had to sneak out and escape the watchful eyes of her guards. Then one time, after James tattled on her sneaking away, her father assigned more maids to flank her sides. Her chances at her fleeting freedom diminished greatly. With no other option, Rachel returned to the companionship of her magic books.

Trigon may not look like it, but the serious king was an overprotective father. Too much so, in fact, especially over his only daughter, his gem. And because of that trait, Rachel grew up isolated. Protected and safe, yes, but lonely. And though the princess resented it for a long time, she eventually got over it. Her father was just being a father in his own way.

Rachel's life mainly revolved around Azarath, her family, her books and her magic. She also had Jinx, her trusted maid and probably best friend. But now, out of the blue, a foreign prince was sending her a gift – a foreign prince that she hasn't even personally met yet. Why would someone send a gift to someone they don't really know and haven't met yet?

Unless…

"You're blushing." Jinx's voice cut through her thoughts. The maid looked at her mistress' reflection with an amused grin. "Are you daydreaming about your mysterious Gotham Prince?"

Rachel scoffed. "Not in the way you're thinking." She tried to will the blush flooding her face at Jinx's meaningful look. "I'm just curious. I've never…"

"Never had a suitor before?" Jinx finished for her helpfully.

Rachel's blush brightened. Why was she blushing so much?

"No! It's just…" She tried to think of the proper way to say what she was thinking. She refused to let her mind wander too far out. "I – we – could be looking into this too much." As if convincing herself, Rachel nodded firmly at her reflection on the mirror. "The gift is just a friendly gift, nothing more. Gotham just wanted to be friends with Azarath. Yes, that's it. They might be courting, yes, but they're courting for an alliance."

Jinx scoffed. "You're such a teenager, Rae."

"That's because I am."

Jinx just laughed. She decided to drop it for now and began brushing the princess' luxurious dark locks. "Alright then, let's leave it at that for now. I'm pretty sure we'll get a clearer picture after dinner. For now, let's work on bringing out the goddess in you."

Rachel gave a small sigh and sat straight up. She met Jinx's mischievous pink eyes on the mirror and directed a grateful smile at her friend. "Work your magic on me."

"With pleasure," Jinx answered. "But just so you know," she leaned closer and locked eyes with her princess on the mirror. "I can hear the bells."

 **ROYAL WOES ~ ROYAL WOES ~ ROYAL WOES**

"What was that?" Garfield was hysterical. "What the hell was that!?"

"Pipe down, Gar!" Victor whispered sharply. "Someone could hear you."

But Garfield cannot be calmed. He met Victor's scolding glare with wide, panicked green eyes. "How do you expect me to react? Nobody said anything about a demon!"

Roy quickly clamped a hand over Gar's mouth before he can continue his crazed tirade. "Shut the hell up, Garfield, before any actual _demon_ hears you and come after us!"

After Trigon had dismissed them until dinner, the four boys were escorted into a waiting room overlooking a beautiful garden. They were on the adjoined balcony, having a heated, whispered discussion about what they have witnessed in the throne room.

Victor directed a stern gaze at Roy and Wally. "Did you know about that?"

"What, the princess' demon alter ego?" Roy bit out. "Actually – no! We're just as surprised as you are," he frowned harshly, rubbing the goose bumps on his arms.

Victor's eyes landed on Wally. The other redhead had been silent the whole time. "Wallace?"

"Yeah?" Baby-blue eyes met Vic's oak-colored ones.

"Did you know about… whatever that was that happened back there?"

Wally paused thoughtfully for a moment before answering. "Not really," he remarked casually with a grin.

Victor did not expect Wally's smile. The expression seemed unnatural given their current situation. Garfield was obviously panicking whereas Roy was looking quite shaken himself. But Wally rather seemed amused.

"You sure?" Victor prodded, unconvinced.

"Yeah," Wally nodded.

"Why the heck are you smiling, man?" Garfield snapped at Wally. "Didn't you see what happened back there? She turned demon!"

"Garfield!"

But Wally's smile remained. "C'mon, dudes. This is Azarath, a kingdom known for magic and sorcery. Surely, you'd have expected something like that here. Plus, you got to admit, that was a pretty bad-ass trick!"

But the other three boys weren't convinced.

Victor racked his brain for a next course of action. When he thought up of this plan, all he wanted was to find an available noble girl, introduce her to Richard, and work on playing Cupid for them. That was it. When Roy and Wally brought up Rachel, he crossed out the first item on his checklist. And the way they described her pretty much convinced him that she'd be a good choice.

But now… maybe they should have looked up on her more.

"This is a bad idea, Vic." Garfield sidled beside him. The little blonde guy appeared calmer but the distress was still swimming in his eyes. "We can't use her for your plan."

"Why not?" Wally asked, his smile waning for a moment.

Garfield turned to Wally in disbelief. Did the other boy really just ask that?

"You saw what happened back there! She just turned all dark and misty and she had four eyes. Four!"

Wally just shrugged and grinned. "Yeah, that was something else."

Garfield huffed at the casual response and turned back to Victor. "You can't set her up with Richard, man!"

"Seriously, Gar, keep your voice down." Roy scolded sternly. He looked at Victor who was staring at the floor, deep in thought. Roy could only guess what was going on in the other guy's head. No one expected this development in their self-imposed mission.

Then his eyes landed on his best friend and Wallace quickly met his look with a smirk. Roy could have laughed at the younger redhead's casual attitude. Leave it to Wally to remain blasé about everything.

Roy just shook his head and gave Wally a smirk of his own. He turned back to Victor and asked, "What now, Vic?"

"Now we go back home," Garfield quickly answered.

Wally frowned. "What?"

Roy also looked at Garfield dubiously. "Really? You wanna bail now?"

Garfield straightened up his stance and faced both Roy and Wally. His young face held an expression of mixed worry and apologetic. But before Gar could utter another word, Roy cut him off.

"We came all this way for her," Roy reminded Gar.

"I know!" Gar answered exasperatedly. "I'm all for finding a girl for Richard and helping him get over his hopeless crush on Kori but we can't use Rachel for that."

Wally's scowl darkened. "Why not?"

"She's a monster!"

"You shut the hell up!" Wally hissed darkly.

Totally not expecting that, Victor and Roy were stunned at Wally's outburst. Even Gar was surprised by the redhead's out-of-character reaction. The three were silenced.

Wally kept a sharp glare towards Garfield. "I get it that you're scared, Gar, but you don't get to insult Rachel just because you're freaking out." Wally bit out.

"Hey, I didn't – "

"Easy, Wally." Roy patted his friend firmly on his shoulders to snap him out of his sudden anger.

The younger red-head very rarely expressed his anger. Only a very few things can bring out this emotion from the happy-go-lucky boy. But Roy saw that hint of something nasty peeking through Wally's baby-blue eyes. His anger only meant that this mission is important for him.

Wally kept his heated glare at Gar. Then he spoke in a low, controlled voice, "Don't judge her just from what you saw. I told you, she's a first-rate sorceress. We are in Azarath – the supernatural thrives here. Her magic doesn't make her a monster. Just because she's different doesn't mean she's not human."

"Wallace," eased Roy.

"Alright, man." Garfield sighed, looking repentant. He tried to smile at Wally, hoping to placate the clearly agitated boy. "I'm sorry. I was just really freaking out back there. I'm not really judging her or anything. But you gotta admit – that was one freaky stunt she pulled."

"Of course. I told you, she's the best in this land," Wally answered, looking a bit mollified.

"Alright," Roy nodded. "Now, let's get back to the issue at hand. How do we proceed?"

Three pairs of eyes turned to Victor, the unanimous leader of the group.

Victor looked into each boy before answering. "The main goal of this mission is to find a girl for Richard. A girl we can introduce to him and set him up with, so he can get over his crush with the Tamaranian princess."

The other three boys looked at Victor with sharp attention. It was like briefing an army before going into battle.

"Now we have found a princess. And although she is a bit… unusual," Victor trailed off again, raking his gaze over his companions' faces. "Well, she is quite the looker, ain't she?"

Roy chuckled. "That she is."

Even Wally and Gar cracked a smile at that fact.

"This mission is still a go," Victor continued. "Strange magic aside, Princess Rachel is a suitable candidate for our prince. And as of the moment, she is our best bet – our only bet, actually. So I say we see this through until the end. Do you all agree?"

"Yeah!" Wally readily answered.

Roy gave a firm nod of assent. "I'm in."

Then all turned to Garfield.

Gar looked at his friends uncertainly. But rather than answering, he asked instead. "How are we going to introduce her to Richard?"

Victor's serious look turned sheepish. "Ah, I haven't gotten to that part of the plan yet," he admitted while scratching a non-existent itch in the back of his head.

"We have to get her to Gotham to do that, y'know." Roy voiced out. "We have to arrange something so she'll have a reason to go there."

"Like, have Richard invite her over?" Garfield asked.

"Something like that," Roy agreed. "The problem is how to get him to do that. He's bound to ask questions – he doesn't even know her. And we can't really tell him, _'Oh, Rachel's this exotic goddess we summoned from the realms of Azarath to help you get over your precious Tamaranian princess.'_ "

Victor nodded, "True."

"Or we can bring Richard here," Wally opined.

Victor looked at Wally. "That'd be an easier option."

A hush came over the group as each got lost in their own thoughts. A general feeling of uncertainty still loomed over them but at the same time, all four boys shared the determination to help out their friend, in any way they can. They want Richard to be happy, or at the very least, to move on from his juvenile crush. And if this silly mission presented a chance of being the answer to Richard's heart problems, then that's all the motivation they need to push on.

They can do this.

"Alright then," Gar stood straighter and inhaled, as if gathering all his resolve. "Let's do this."

Wally straightened up as well. "Yeah, but dinner first. I'm hungry."

As the serious discussion dissolved into an easy, friendly chatter, no one noticed a shift in the shadows near the threshold of the balcony.

' _Plan?'_

' _Set up?'_

' _Mission?'_

From the darkness, a pair of blue-violet eyes burned with barely restrained ire, looking scornfully at the oblivious young men.

 **To be continued~**

 **AN2:** How was that? I'm kind of concerned about the consistency of my verb tenses. Sometimes I lose track of them. *sweat drops* Anyone noticed anything off? Drop me a note about it. Thanks!

 **miracle vaughn** : Thank you! Ah, I hope I can continue to hold your interest. I shall do my best! *pumps fist determinedly*

 **Lilac Shimmer** : Oh, haha! I hope the appearance of the brothers weren't too weird for you. I've never really read the comics but I do know that Raven actually has six half-brothers, the Sons of Trigon. And yes, their names all start with the letter J: Jared, Jesse, Jacob, James, Julius and Jack. They, plus Raven, represent the Seven Deadly Sins.

 **Meee (Guest)** : Your review made me cackle! I take it you liked Chapter 2? I hope you like this chapter, too. Let me know, 'kay?

 **Zaacna** : Your review melted my heart. I've never been thanked for anything I've written before. *gets teary-eyed* THANK YOU. But the interaction between Rachel and Richard remains to be seen, hehe. Well get there soon enough. Just stay with me, neh?

 **nathalie llorente reyna:** I'm glad you do! Here's the update, haha! Tell me what you think.

 **AN3:** This chapter is decidedly shorter than the first two. I tried to write more, but there was just no extending it. And because I feel bad about the word-count, here's a 100-word preview of Chapter 4 just for you, guys:

 **PREVIEW:**

 _So it was a set-up._

 _She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. Shame began to flow and mix with her anger, creating a bitter cocktail of emotion that was scorching and agonizing. She struggled to hold it back and mentally chanted her mantra, hoping to keep her composure._

 _She had been played. She – Trigon's gem, the Princess of Azarath – had been played._

 _How dare they?_

 _Then the shadows stilled. When her eyes re-opened, the indigo orbs were gone. There was only black – deep and deadly._

 _She smiled with all sharp teeth._

 _They chose the wrong princess to mess with._


	4. A Comedy of Errors

**AUTHOR'S NOTE** : Hello, peeps! It is I and I bring Chapter 4! This is my longest chapter yet. For this one, OOC warning, you guys. Nothing too overt, really, but just a precaution, in case I have sensitive readers out there. Also, this chapter is the least revised out of everything I've put out (I only got to review/edit it twice). Please forgive any blunder you pick up (and quickly alert me for damage control). Shout-outs to **toonamifan666** , **Andrien** , **MillenialPinkPrincess** , **xCuteWithoutThe.E** , and **drjeb10** – thank you for putting this story on your Favorites and Alerts. Responses to reviews are at the end. Alright, I'm done now. You may proceed. Enjoy!

 **DISCLAIMER: TEEN TITANS and all related characters and elements are trademarks of DC Comics.**

 **CHAPTER 4 – A Comedy of Errors**

She didn't hear the whole conversation but what she did hear was enough to create a scorching feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her fingers twitched and the shadows quivered on the walls.

" _You can't set her up with Richard!"_

" _She's a monster!"_

Darkness began to bleed in her eyes, in tune to the rage that was quickly building up inside her.

" _The main goal of this mission is to find a girl for Richard. A girl we can introduce to him and set him up with, so he can get over..."_

So it was a set-up.

There was never any Prince Richard. Or there was, but he never really sent her the gift. He barely even knew about her, it seemed. It was a ploy, all just a ploy, played by these stupid boys.

But why?

… _the Tamaranian princess?_

The shadows writhed aggressively.

And to think she even entertained the notion of a… a proposal. Marriage!

Rachel closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. Shame began to flow and mix with her anger, creating a bitterer cocktail of emotion that was heated, agonizing, and getting harder to reign in. She mentally chanted her mantra, trying to keep her composure.

She has been played. She – Trigon's gem, the Princess of Azarath – has been played.

And by four gutless, shameless Gotham plebeians.

How dare they?

Then the shadows stilled. She took a deep, deep breath. And when her eyes re-opened, the indigo orbs were gone. There was only black – deep, dark and deadly.

She smiled with all sharp teeth.

They chose the wrong princess to mess with.

 **ROYAL WOES ~ ROYAL WOES ~ ROYAL WOES**

Garfield noticed the shadows first. They were moving, as if dancing in delight, or shaking with fear. Garfield had a feeling of the latter.

Then there was a flash of pale skin, a glint of indigo, and his breath got caught in his throat.

He raised one hand to tap Victor beside him while keeping his eyes on the darkened corner where he knew something – someone – was lurking.

"Vic!"

Victor broke away from his conversation with Roy. "What?"

He saw Garfield looking pointedly at something. He followed his friend's gaze and it landed on the threshold of the balcony. Vic didn't see anything significant at first and he was about to scold Garfield for pulling another joke on him. But then something shifted. And there she was.

' _Shit.'_

Roy noticed Victor tense. "You okay, Vic?" He spied Garfield on Victor's other side and noticed that the guy was pretty much frozen in place like Victor. Both seemed to be gawping at something. So of course, Roy looked.

' _Shit.'_

Nobody dared breathe, including Wally, who saw Rachel the moment she stepped out of the shadows. She had changed from her violet dress into an elegant amaranthine gown, the hem barely touching the marble floors. And she stood very still, head down, with her hands clasped primly in front of her.

"Your Highness," Vic found his voice first and tried a weak smile at the princess. "W-We didn't see you there."

The other three took Victor's cue and each gave a greeting at the princess. Garfield even made a low bow – but only to cover the shivers that were racking his spine.

Rachel remained quiet.

"So… we were just talking about—"

"Dinner!" Wally interrupted. "Can't wait for dinner, My Lady. I'm starving!"

Victor cast an uncertain glance at Wally but nodded in agreement nonetheless. "Yeah, dinner. Ah, it's been quite the journey to here. And we're just so honoured to be given a chance to dine with you, Your Highness."

But she remained silent. Vic tried to get a gander at her expression but her face remained down. She was so still, like a porcelain doll.

Victor vaguely heard Wally say something to the princess as he cast a furtive glance to Roy. Roy met his gaze with a worried look.

"Gentlemen."

The four snapped to attention at her voice.

"Tell me, does your prince know of your excursion here?" She asked in a low tone, deep and sultry and just a bit ominous.

Victor broke into a sweat. "O-Of course, Your Highness."

"Really? And he chose that book as a present for me?"

"He did, My Lady."

Rachel moved her head up a little. Although her eyes remained hidden, a smile was revealed on the lower half of her face. She took a step forward, then another, and another until she was standing in the light. "So he sent you on this mission?"

Victor felt his heart stop at the way she spat the word 'mission'.

She knew. Now she knew and they were screwed.

"P-Princess…"

"But he didn't really, did he?"

"Shit," Roy cussed under his breath as the wind began to pick up. It was like in the throne room incident all over again.

"He didn't because he doesn't really know," Rachel continued. "I heard what you said and a lot was said, gentlemen."

Victor backed away from the now obviously seething girl. "My Lady, please, let us explain."

"Explain what, Victor Stone? That you dare come here, using the name of your prince, in order to trick me?"

"No, Rachel, it's not what you think!" Roy tried to reason.

Rachel whipped her head up to glare at them. And when they saw her eyes, her pitch-black eyes, they knew that shit has hit the fan.

"I think it is exactly what I think, Roy Harper. You four marched in here with the intention to make a fool out of me!"

"Princess, please, we don't mean any harm!" Garfield cried out. He was standing the farthest with his back pressed against the balustrade. "We're doing this to help our prince, that's just it! We don't mean to trick you!"

"Garfield!" Victor cried in dismay.

The wind grew stronger and the shadows on the walls seemed to come alive. "And to think I even considered the thought of a prop—" Rachel managed to stop herself short before she could utter the word. But its echoes rang in her head. She hid her face at the sharp sting of shame.

"I am not a fool!" The potted plants in the corners exploded violently at the princess' outburst. The shadows bled from the walls and slithered towards her clenched fists. Some flowed around her feet, waving to and fro like black tentacles.

She stomped forward with the shadows cloaking her. "I will not be made a fool," she hissed. For each menacing step she took, the boys took one step back. The darkness at her feet danced with the violent wind blowing around her and for a moment, her figure was cocooned in a black whirlwind. When the darkness peeled back, she was looking straight at them with four red eyes and an evil, evil grin. "You messed with the wrong princess."

Victor didn't miss a beat. "RUN!"

 **ROYAL WOES ~ ROYAL WOES ~ ROYAL WOES**

Richard walked down the corridors with a scowl on his face. He had just finished his weekly conference with his father which pretty much took up the whole of his morning. Now he was free for the rest of the day and he wanted to go out horse riding. But he couldn't find his two guards-slash-friends.

As he turned a corner, he sighted a maid walking ahead of him.

"Kole!"

A frail servant girl turned at the call. "Your Highness?"

"Have you seen Victor and Garfield?"

The girl tilted her head, "No, I have not, Sire."

"I see," Richard gave a disappointed nod. "That's fine, thank you."

Kole flashed a shy smile at her prince. "Is there anything else I can help you with, Your Highness?"

"No, Kole. Thank you." Richard returned the smile with one of his own. He didn't fail to notice the rosy blush that flooded on the maid's face.

"Y-You're welcome, Prince Richard." With that, the tiny girl scurried away.

Richard gave a sigh. Where could those two be? No one seemed to know where they were or where they went. He turned back to the direction he came from. Guess he'll just have to ride out on his own today.

As he stepped out to head towards the stables, he paused in his steps and looked up to the skies. It was a vast, clear blue, untouched by a single cloud. The sun was shining brightly and the sunlight felt good against his face. The young prince couldn't help smiling at the feeling and closed his eyes for a moment.

In the back of his mind, there was a flash of dark red hair, luminous green eyes and a smile as bright as the mid-day sun.

But before he could bask in the image, Richard quickly opened his eyes. He shook his head, his smile disappearing.

No. He had moped enough.

And the day was too beautiful to waste. The sky, the sunlight, the breeze, and the flowers – it was perfect. Maybe something good will happen today.

With that, Richard continued on to fetch his horse. Unbeknownst to him, a storm was heading his way.

 **ROYAL WOES ~ ROYAL WOES ~ ROYAL WOES**

Four horses zipped through the path leading away from Azarath, swerving and zigzagging, all the while keeping up with each other. The horses ran fast, faster on their masters' spurring. They ran like bats out of hell. They ran like a demon was hot on their heels.

Which was actually the case.

"VIC!" Garfield screamed against the wind whipping on his face. "She's still after us!"

"Stop looking back!" Victor screamed back. The adrenaline pumped hot through his veins and he wasn't too frightened anymore. Just very, very worried.

"Vic! She's still after us!" Wally called out from Victor's left side.

"I just said that!" Garfield shrieked.

"I told you to stop looking back!"

From behind them, thunderous cracking could be heard. They've pissed her off real bad and she's after their heads.

"Let's take to the woods!" Roy yelled from Vic's far right.

Victor looked up and saw that they have just passed the border of Azarath. If they go through the woods, they'd be heading straight towards the western edge of Gotham. "To the woods, guys!"

A few ways behind them, a levitating Rachel smirked. She watched as her preys changed direction and went into the woods. Did they think they could escape?

A few moments after they entered the woods, the cracking and snapping resumed. The boys heard more breaking and creaking, and then the trees began falling.

"Oh shiiiiit!" Roy screamed and pushed his steed to go faster.

"We're gonna die!" Gar screamed to the high heavens.

"Just keep running!" Victor screamed back.

"YES. JUST KEEP RUNNING, GENTLEMEN." A deep, menacing voice echoed through the woods. It wasn't Rachel's sultry alto but there was no doubt it was still her.

"NO ONE MAKES A FOOL OUT OF ME!" The bellow was followed by a deafening crack and the sound of more trees falling filled the air.

"WE'RE SORRYYYYY!"

The answer was more cracking. It was too late to reason with her. She's angry at the moment – enraged, rather. But maybe if they manage to evade her for an ample amount of time she'd tire out or simmer down.

"We're almost in Gotham!" Wally yelled to the rest.

And indeed, they were.

Victor looked around to his companions as he felt a surge of confidence at the familiar feel of home. They'll make it. "Keep going, guys!"

Behind them, Rachel felt the instance she entered the border. When she realized that she had stepped into a new territory, she paused in her flight and for a moment, just stood still, looking at the area surrounding her. The shadows slithered off and removed themselves from her person and her eyes returned to their normal color. The boys continued to speed away but she ignored them for the moment. She remained in her spot, feeling, listening, tasting the air. It was thick, bitter, and heavy with power. But not like in Azarath. Gotham was more somber.

She had never been here before. She glanced over her shoulder to the direction she came from – did she really travel that far out from home?

Anger is indeed powerful.

Then she remembered why she was angry.

Those cretins.

Roy noticed the lack of cracking sounds. He looked beside him towards Victor, "I don't hear her anymore, Vic."

"Me neither," Wally piped up.

Victor called out to Garfield, "Can you look back and check, Gar?"

"What!? Why me!?"

Wally took it to himself to do it. "Nothing behind us."

"She left?" Gar asked, not even masking the hopeful tone in his voice.

"Let's hope so," Vic answered.

The trees began to thin out and Victor recognized that they were nearing the castle. He craned his head up and at the distance, he spied the castle towers. "Almost there," he whispered under his breath.

The four reached a stream that ran through the woods and made to cross it when Gar called out. "Vic!"

Victor, Roy and Wally pulled on their horses and looked at Garfield, then to where he was pointing. It was a majestic, red stallion, tethered to a tree and calmly drinking from the waters.

"Richard."

Roy understood. "He's around here?"

Victor nodded, his eyes locked on the oblivious horse. "That's his horse."

Gar began to call out, "Your Highness!"

"Richard!" Wally followed Gar's lead.

"Dick!" Roy bellowed.

Garfield turned to Victor with a worried face, "We gotta find him, Vic. She might still be around."

Victor thought about the silence that came since they've crossed the border. He was a bit curious about what happened to the princess but he was more glad that the chase had stopped.

Maybe she had calmed down and turned back. But if she hadn't and if she's still lurking around to ambush them, then they have to make sure Richard didn't get caught.

Victor turned to Garfield, "Gar, take Richard's horse and go ahead to the castle. Check for him there; if you find him, keep him there. If not, come back and—!"

Victor was cut off by a shadow wrapping around his head. The other three were stunned and were too slow to react. Three more shadow tentacles shot and wrapped around each of them. Then they were raised up in the air, flailing and defenseless as the perpetrator of the attack sauntered out into view.

"So, you thought you could escape." It wasn't a question.

"HMMMP!" Roy struggled against his binds.

Garfield was doing the same, wiggling to and fro like a caterpillar. If she wasn't so pissed she might've found that funny.

"HMM-MM!" Victor spoke – tried to. "HMM-MM-MMP!"

Rachel frowned. She flicked a finger towards Victor's direction and the binding around his mouth loosened, although the one around his torso tightened.

"Princess Rachel, please, let us explain! We really mean no harm! We admit, our prince did not send us, the gifts weren't from him – it was from us! But even so, we offer them to you sincerely! Wally said you've wanted that book for forever so he got that for you! And Roy got the goblet for your father because we really don't know what he likes so we just got something lavish and fancy!"

They got her the gifts? Rachel pressed her lips into a thin line. "Why the deceit?"

Victor looked hopelessly at the princess. "It wasn't really a trick, My Lady. The reason we went to you and did what we did was—"

"GWAH!"

A figure came out of nowhere and slammed itself into the princess. She shrieked at the surprise attack and lost hold of her powers. The shadow tentacles whipped and snapped before loosening and hurling its captives into the air. And four bodies went soaring high.

Rachel landed hard on the ground. She was stunned as the wind was knocked out of her. For a moment, all she could see was the clear blue sky through the foliage. Vast. Calm. Free. Then the moment was over as she realized a heavy weight atop her. She shifted her head to look at what caught her and she was met with a pair of bright blue eyes.

For another moment, Rachel lost herself in a different kind of blue.

In the background, outside of the staring-contest between the two figures on the ground, Garfield landed in a treetop. The thick foliage cushioned his fall but it did not make it less painful.

Victor wasn't so lucky – there was just the ground for him.

Roy was thrown a bit further and—SPLASH!

Wally was snagged in the branches of another tree, winded and dizzy from the unexpected flight.

"You mongrel!" Rachel shrieked after she recovered from the surprise. She pushed at the face of the boy atop her and thrashed around to throw him off. "You deviant! Boor! Get off of me!"

Richard also snapped out of the spell of those exotic indigo eyes and scowled at the insults hurled at him. He couldn't really tell what happened before he came upon the small group on the woods. What he saw was a cloaked figure surrounded by dark mist and his four friends suspended in thin air by some black binds. But what he understood was that his friends were in danger. So he acted fast.

He wasn't expecting such a beaut to be under that dark cloak, though.

Rachel pushed harder at the boy but he refused to budge. Instead, he clenched his legs tighter around her and she felt herself flush. How dare this… barbarian straddle her like a horse? Pretty blue eyes aside, she will not accept this conduct.

"Get off of me!"

"No!" Richard yelled back at her and peeled her hands off his face. He imprisoned her wrists in his hands and sat firmer atop her. He knew it was no way to treat a lady but he still has some reservations about this lady.

Those exotic eyes couldn't be from this mortal realm.

Rachel gaped at the brazen man for a moment before deciding to claw at his face more fervently. "NO? What do you mean no?! Do you have any idea who I am, you uncouth animal?!"

Rachel bucked suddenly and Richard tipped over. She quickly seized the opportunity and reversed their position. She tried to yank her wrists out of his grip but it didn't budge. She glared down at him, "Unhand me!"

From his new position, Richard couldn't help but think that she looked quite… sensual, glaring and mounted atop him like that. "No," he smirked, tightening his grip on her and prepared to buck her off.

For a few moments, the two aristocrats just wrestled on the ground. Richard refused to let go of his hold on the girl and after a while, he found himself amused at the way she hissed and spat threats at him. He could almost forget that she was the same cloaked figure that threatened his friends.

With the way they were rolling about, the two didn't notice that they were edging towards the stream. When Richard bucked Rachel off for the third time, it was too late for a warning. They both landed in the water.

"Richard!" Victor called out as he saw his prince plunge. He had witnessed the little wrestling match. One moment he was worried, the next he was trying to hold his laughter off. They were like a couple of children. You wouldn't think the both of them were crowned royals of two powerful kingdoms with the way they rolled around on the dirt.

As the cold water swept over Rachel, she faintly felt the grip around her disappear.

'Richard.'

Now she knew.

Richard was quick to recover from the fall. They were on the shallower part of the stream and the water only came up to his knees. He sat up and looked around for the girl.

A splash to his left revealed the girl appearing from the water and Richard gaped. The wet look just upped her to a whole new level of alluring.

A few yards behind him, Roy was gaping as well.

When Rachel found Richard's form in front of her, she just sat and stared at him for a while. So this was him – Crown Prince Richard of Gotham.

She tried to subtly take in all of him, from his dark hair to his blue eyes and down to his unadorned riding clothes that were as wet as her own gown. Then she resumed glaring at him.

But mentally, Rachel was nodding in approval. He was… fetching. Those blue eyes could really hold someone under a spell. And his mouth, his jaws, his neck, his shoulders—

Rachel mentally bonked her head. No.

Victor splashed through the water and waded towards his prince. Behind him, Garfield stood at the banks anxiously. On the other side of the bank, Wally was hedging towards Rachel, torn between wanting to help her up and staying put to preserve his safety.

Richard looked up as Victor approached him. "You okay, Vic?"

Victor glanced at Rachel for a moment before he answered, "Yeah, I'm fine. Are you okay, Your Highness?"

Richard gave a nod. "Yeah, I'm good." He looked around to take stock of the others. After he found them all up and alright, he turned back towards the girl and—

SLAP!

They didn't even see her move.

Except for Wally who actually saw her teleport with her magic.

Richard slowly blinked away the shock and turned his head. Damn, she was even more beautiful up close.

"Do not mess with me," Rachel hissed at his face. Then she picked up her skirt and waded towards dry land.

The boys gawked at the princess as she went to squeezing water out of her skirt. Victor looked back to his prince and winced at the red mark on his cheek. But the prince didn't seem to feel it. He just stared at the girl with curious eyes.

Victor knew an explanation was due very soon.

Rachel figured she no longer had any business here. There was no point to this anymore was there? She lost herself to her anger and had embarrassed herself in front of Gotham. Heaving a sigh, the Azarathian princess straightened her back and swept back the loose strands of hair from her face. Then she began to walk away.

Richard looked at Victor beside him. "Who was that?"

Victor gave a weak smile. "The Princess of Azarath."

"Azarath?" Richard asked.

"Yeah," Roy answered as he and Gar came up behind the prince. "Rachel Roth, Princess of Azarath."

"Quite the character, huh." Gar said in a low mumble.

Richard looked at each of his friends. They seem to know who she was. "What was she doing to you, guys?"

"We pissed her off," Roy readily admitted with shrug.

"What?"

Garfield gave a weak laugh at Richard's horrified expression. "Yeah, hehe, we might have… provoked her, and…" he trailed off.

Richard looked appalled. "I tackled her!"

"You did," Roy agreed helpfully.

"I took her down! I wrestled her!"

Roy nodded. "You also got her wet.

"I thought she was gonna kill you!" Richard exclaimed.

Victor offered a pleading look at his prince. "Well, she might have."

Richard glared at him. "But it's your fault?!"

Victor sighed. "Yes," he admitted and hung his head dejectedly.

Richard couldn't believe it. He just took down a princess as if she was wild game! She had called him all those demeaning epithets and she had been correct in all of those.

He let out a huff. "You owe me an explanation for this, all of you." He glared at each of the three in front of him. Then he noticed that one more person was missing. He looked around for Wally and found him off to the side.

Feeling the eyes on him, Wally looked back to meet Richard's gaze. Then he tipped his head towards the direction where the princess walked off to.

Richard understood. "Let's go after her," he ordered.

"What?" Garfield looked at his prince disbelievingly. He opened his mouth to protest further but Richard shut him up with a sharp glare.

"You owe me an explanation and you owe HER an apology." He stated in a firm voice. "We'll go after her so we can settle this altogether. And I pretty much did a spear on her, wrestled her around and dunked her in freezing water; I also owe her an apology."

He didn't wait for any more protest and began walking to follow the mysterious princess.

Victor looked helplessly at Gar and Roy. "Well," he let out a sigh, "We pretty much asked for this."

"Hah, speak for yourself." Roy chuckled as he followed Richard. "But I gotta see how he apologizes for roughing her up in the dirt."

Victor cracked a smile at that and wrapped a thick arm around Gar's shoulder to pull him with them. The smaller boy didn't bother to put up a protest and simply let his best friend drag him.

 **To be continued~**

 **Meee (Guest):** Well, here we are. They meet at last, mwahahaha!

 **Lilac Shimmer:** You caught my Wally-thingy there, hehe. I actually have a fondness for KFxRae. I think Wally's cute with Raven. Buuuuut… they're just friends here. *wink*

 **Guest:** Well, here's an update for you! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thank you!

 **AN2:** Thank you for reading! Drop me a note and tell me what you think. Ciao!


	5. All's Well that Ends Well

**AUTHOR'S NOTE** : And here we are, Chapter 5: the final chapter. Yeah, it's the end. Tadaaa! This story has been fun to write. Thank you to everyone who read this! Thank you to the silent readers. Special thanks to those who read-and-reviewed. And extra-special thanks to **giseky01, Harlin, The Amoral Knight, Guest, Stoic-Wookie00,** **red-robin001** and **zacker150.** The amount of support that this story has garnered has been astounding and I am very, very, very grateful to one and all. So, without further ado, I bring to you: the finale. Enjoy!

 **DISCLAIMER: TEEN TITANS and all related characters and elements are trademarks of DC Comics.**

 **CHAPTER 5 – All's Well That Ends Well**

After the anger has been exhausted, there was just mortification at what she had done. Her brother was right; she really needed better control on her temper. Now she was just weary and her magic has been depleted. She couldn't even manage to conjure a simple teleportation spell to return home. She was stuck with walking – all the way back to Azarath.

She let out a heavy sigh. Azar, what had she done? She had totally made a fool of herself in front of another noble, a foreign prince no less.

Rachel let out another aggravated sigh. She knew she'd feel worse later on but she was too tired to dwell on it at the moment.

Suddenly, she felt a prickling at the back of her head. She halted in her steps and silenced her mind, focusing on the feeling. Then she recognized it – five auras were heading her way.

She whipped her head around, eyes wide in alarm. They were pursuing her!

Rachel quickly gathered her skirt in one hand and continued to walk in a much faster pace. She wasn't ready to come face-to-face with them again. Not yet! Not until she had gotten over her self-mortification and had thought through on how to redeem herself to them.

In her hurried pace, she didn't notice a protrusion on the ground until she had stepped on it, eliciting a sharp crack. The next thing she knew, a net had shot up from the ground and snagged her. "Kyaaaaa!"

Back to the boys, Richard and Wally were in the lead, following after the Azarathian princess, with Victor, Gar and Roy behind them. As Richard walked, he was playing his earlier encounter with the foreign girl in his mind. He still didn't know what really happened between the girl and his men but their meeting was really unexpected. Unlike any other princess he had met – Kori being the prime model in his mind – she wasn't gentle and soft. Rather, she was feisty and quite aggressive, if not for the way she tussled with him.

He failed to hold in an amused chuckle as he remembered the insults she spat at him. That was not a mouth for any princess.

Beside him, Wally glanced at him curiously. "What is it?"

"Nothing," Richard answered. "I was just thinking about that girl."

Wally didn't know how to take that statement so he probed. "Well, what do you think?"

"She's interesting." Then the Gotham prince shot a curious look back the young red-head. "How do you know her anyway?"

Wally gave a shrug. "Met her more than a couple of times when I visited Azarath."

"Ah." Richard looked far ahead to see if he can spot the princess. But she was nowhere in sight. "You have yet to tell me what happened back there."

"Yeah," Wally gave a sheepish chuckle. "It was quite a funny story, actually."

"I bet it was."

Then the sound of a feminine scream pierced the air.

Both men froze on the spot. Then quickly, they broke into a run. When they reached a small clearing, they saw a rather peculiar sight.

A net trap had been triggered and there, dangling in the center of the clearing inside a rope mesh was the petite princess.

"Rachel," Richard called out as he neared her. "Are you alright?"

She scowled at his familiar use of her name but it was softened by the concerned look in his eyes. "I am," she answered.

"Don't worry, we'll get you down." He pulled out a dagger from his belt and handed it to Victor. He directed Vic and the others to untether the trap.

As they got to work on releasing her, she kept her eyes on the young prince that stood beneath her, arms out and ready to catch her.

Seeing his genuine expression, she felt the familiar surge of shame that had flooded her veins earlier on. There they were – the men she chased out of her kingdom – helping her get down from a stupid bear trap she was too stupid to set off. She had humiliated herself in front of him and his men and there was nowhere in Azarath she can hide herself from the shame.

From the ground, Richard watched the princess' face contort in minute expressions. She appeared lost in thought and he took the opportunity to study her form more thoroughly – again. She really was tiny and frail-looking, especially contained inside the net. He had the sudden image of a trapped bird in his mind and he let out a smile at the idea.

"Alright, Your Highness, we're gonna lower you down now." Roy called.

Richard carefully watched as the net inched lower. When it came within reach, he held out a hand to steady it. "Easy now."

After the trap was set on the ground, he made quick work of untangling it from the princess. He knelt beside her and debated whether to place a hand on her shoulders or not. "Are you okay?"

Rachel met his eyes with feigned indifference. "Yes."

"Good." Richard stood up and extended a hand to her. "Come on."

Gingerly, she placed a hand on his and let him pull her up.

Richard kept a close eye on her, subtly checking for any injuries. He noticed that she's avoiding his eyes and basing on the slight blush on her neck, he figured she might be embarrassed. He cannot help but think it was cute that she was embarrassed now when earlier, she was furiously trying to claw his eyes out.

From the sides, Victor carefully approached the two. "Princess Rachel," he called and almost immediately cringed at the sharp glare she shot him. But the hard look quickly softened and Rachel gave a small nod at him.

"I am fine," was her soft response.

The others gathered behind Victor and anxiously looked at each other. They were waiting for someone to break the tension.

Victor took the leader role once more when he saw that Richard wasn't snapping out of his enchanted trance at the princess. "My Lady, let me properly introduce Prince Richard of Gotham."

Steeling herself, Rachel finally let herself meet the other's eyes.

"And this, Your Highness, is Lady Rachel, Princess of Azarath."

Richard kept his shining blue eyes locked on Rachel's deep indigo ones as he bowed at her. "I am most pleased to meet you, Rachel."

At his stare, Rachel felt herself flush even more. Damn this boy. "Charmed," she managed to respond.

Victor looked back and forth between the two. He glanced towards his other companions and saw Roy shoot him with a pleased grin. Victor turned back to the two royals and cleared his throat.

"Thank you," Rachel blurted out as she strained to keep her eye-contact with the prince.

"You're welcome," Richard answered, smiling charmingly at her. Gods, was she adorable with that flush. Why had he not met her before?

Rachel bit her lip at the piercing stare she was receiving. She wanted to squirm in the spot where she stood, feeling self-conscious.

Then as if snapping from a trance, Richard suddenly started and looked away from her. "Uh," he stepped back a little from her and looked towards his men. "Rachel, I... I owe you an apology, for my actions earlier. I didn't mean to hurt you. I just reacted on instinct. I am sorry for tackling you like that."

As he spoke, her eyes unconsciously followed the bobbing of his Adam's apple.

"My men told me it was merely a misunderstanding. And I'm just..." he trailed off. "I'm sorry."

First, he was acting all confident and concerned and now he was awkwardly apologetic. She had to suppress a smile from appearing on her face at his attitude. She tried to lighten her expression as she answered, "It's okay. It was really my fault."

"No," Victor interrupted. "No, My Lady, it was our fault."

Richard turned his eyes towards the others. "Yeah, you said so yourself earlier. Do you mind actually explaining it to me?"

Rachel started in alarm. No, he could not be informed of that blunder, regardless if it was his people's fault or not. It was too embarrassing! They could not just tell him that they set off to her kingdom and offered her gifts using his name! Not when she's right in front of him! What would he think? What would he think of her flying after his guards after discovering that it was all a farce?

"No!"

The boys all turned to her in surprise.

She flashed a stern gaze at Victor, a warning not to open his mouth, before turning to Richard. "No, it's fine. All is forgiven."

"It is?" Gar questioned softly from beside Roy.

"Yes," she gave a resolute nod. "It was just a misunderstanding after all. Let us forget about it."

"But," Wally started but Rachel quickly silenced him with a pleading look.

"Really, Wallace, it's fine."

Richard was now regarding her with a doubtful look. When she noticed it, she tried to assuage him by giving him a smile, the most genuine she can afford. "Really, Richard, it's fine."

Like a zap of electricity, Richard felt a zing run thought his veins at hearing her use his name.

"Alright," he relented. "I'll let it go for now."

Rachel gave a small nod. "Thank you." She turned her eyes towards the other four boys. "And I'm sorry for causing you trouble."

"No, My Lady." Victor looked apologetically at her. "It was our fault."

"Of course, it was." She gave them a dry look. "But let's forget it."

"Would you at least let us make it up to you?"

Rachel turned to Richard as the prince stepped closer to her. "Because we really can't leave it like this, can we? I really have no idea what happened and I'd be lying if I say I'm not interested to hear the story. So please, would you at least accept an invitation for tea in my castle?"

"Smooth," Roy whispered to Wally and the younger redhead held back a snicker.

Rachel was obviously hesitant at the invitation and Richard easily picked up on it. Thinking quickly, he reached out and took one of her hands in his and held it firmly. "Please, it would be an honor if you'd accept. I really feel bad about dunking you in the stream like that."

No. She needed to sort out her thoughts first. She feared she cannot bear to sit with him and have some tea when she had been a total loon. And she was certain that he'd ask about what really brought her to his kingdom and chasing after his men and she just cannot be there for that narration. She'd die if he discovered that she thought he was courting her!

"No," she said firmly. "I have to head home. My people would wonder where I've gone." She took a small step back and quickly, Richard's hands clamped on her wrist.

"No, I insist. Please."

She scowled lightly. "It's fine. Maybe next time."

"No," he returned her scowl with a frown of his own. "I really want to do this now."

"Unhand me," she gritted out.

"Not until you say yes to tea with me," he bit back.

Off to the sides, the others were treated to another clash of wills between the two. Garfield slowly leaned up to Victor and whispered, "With this much spark between them, why did we even have to try?"

Victor merely gave small shrug. "It's the wrong kind of spark."

"I think it's the perfect kind of spark," Roy chimed with an amused grin.

"Fine!" Rachel finally snapped. "I accept your invitation."

"Why, thank you. Finally." But despite his words, Richard's face was an expression of mirth as he eyed the pouting girl. She really was something else.

Then Roy clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Alright! Let's go."

The walk back to the castle was uneventful. The princess did not see the need to speak and simply walked beside him quietly, looking around every now and then at the surroundings. Whereas he cannot help but give discreet glances at her, stealthily watching her. For the short amount of time that he had known her, he had quickly become fascinated about this strange girl. Her magic was one thing to be curious about and the other thing was just… her.

Okay, admittedly, she was really pretty. Not in the Princess Kori kind of way, all sunshine and flowers, but in an exotic kind of way. Her beauty was subdued. If he was going to be poetic about it, she was like a midnight stroll in an enchanted forest under a bright full moon – all dark and secretive and a tad bit dangerous. It was the type that thrills your heart rather than pleases your eyes. She was a mystery.

And Richard loved mysteries.

When they arrived, he immediately had a maid escort Rachel to a guest quarters and help her change out of her wet clothes. He also sought out Alfred, their chief servant, to prepare tea and snacks for them before speeding off to his own quarters to prepare.

A while later, Rachel stood in the guest quarters, patting the skirt of the white dress she was given to wear. She rarely wore the color but a pink-haired maid brought in the dress and announced that she'd just be lovely in it.

Lovely, maybe, but it's making her self-conscious. What was she doing here? Why did she even accept the invitation? She should have just excused herself and high-tailed out of Gotham. So why was she here, waiting to be summoned for her tea-time with the Gotham prince?

'Because admit it, you want to be here. You want to have tea with him and get to know him better.'

She bit her lower lip and glared at her reflection in the mirror. Was this a good idea? He'll discover the story behind everything. And she'll be shamed, all over again.

The familiar feeling of panic flooded her veins once more and her legs tightened in preparation to run. But right at that moment, there was a knock on the doors before it swung open and the pink-haired servant waltzed in.

"Oh, Lady Rachel, you simply look divine!" The girl exclaimed with bright, delighted eyes.

"Th-Thank you…" she trailed off, trying to remember the name of the maid.

"It's Kole," she supplied. "My name is Kole."

Rachel gave a gentle smile at the small girl. "Thank you, Kole."

Kole beamed at her. "Prince Richard is awaiting your presence in the courtyard. Shall we?"

Rachel swallowed a lump in her throat before giving a slight nod. "Yes."

In another part of the castle, in an open area with a quaint table for two, Alfred watched the young prince fidget subtly in his seat. "Are you alright, Master Richard?"

He snapped his bright blue eyes at the elder man and gave a strained smile. "Yeah."

"Are you certain?"

Richard looked away and stared at his tea cup. "Yes, Al." The prince gave an absent-minded nod.

But Alfred wasn't really buying it. Before he could give another comment at the young man's unease, his eyes caught two approaching figures. 'Ah,' the old man thought. "Your guest has arrived, Sire."

The prince was quickly up and on his feet, his eyes trained on the approaching figure of Rachel.

Kole stopped a few feet and announced, "Presenting, Princess Rachel."

Richard gave a small nod at the girl before offering a hand to Rachel and leading her to her seat. Both remained quiet as Alfred served them their tea and some cake before leaving both in each other's company.

There was just a long moment of silence between them.

Then finally, Richard decided to break the quiet. "So…"

Rachel looked at him with a schooled expression. "Yes?"

"Do you like tea?"

She quirked a dainty eyebrow the question. "I do. I love tea, actually."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"That's good."

"Yes."

He watched her take a dainty sip from her cup. "So, uh… Want to relay to me what happened between you and my guards?"

Rachel stilled in her seat and Richard saw her pale. He has been really curious about the story but his men didn't seem willing to tell him about it. "Was it really that bad?"

Rachel bit her lower lip, contemplating on how to respond. "It's an embarrassing story."

"Oh."

"Yeah," she turned her head to the side and Richard marveled at the sight of the afternoon sunlight on her cheeks.

She thought hard on how to proceed. Then finally, "It was really just a misunderstanding. They… neglected to tell me some parts about something and I overreacted." She mentally cringed at her pathetic explanation. But she refused to disclose the whole tale to him. Else, she'd wither and die on the spot.

Richard pursed his lips after hearing what she said. Obviously, it wasn't the whole truth and he was just really itching to get the whole story out of someone. But she looked really uncomfortable with the topic. And as cute as she looked, sitting there with a lost look on her face, he didn't want her to be uncomfortable.

"Alright then," he answered, offering her a smile, hoping to ease her. He decided to change topics. "So, aside from tea, what else do you like?"

Unbidden, a gentle smile bloomed on her face at the question. She can feel his genuine friendliness and decided to give it a chance. "Books."

After that, the conversation flowed smoothly between the two. The talked about books, her magic, his martial arts, and their kingdoms. She described Azarath to him as he had never been there and he, in turn, told her of the nice places to see in Gotham.

"I'd love to tour you around some time," Richard blurted out. "We could check out the library first."

Rachel looked at the prince with wide eyes and rosy cheeks. "I… Yeah, I'd like that."

Richard once again felt that zing in his veins at the way she looked at him. He opened his mouth to say something but Alfred appeared out of nowhere and cleared his throat.

"I am sorry to interrupt, Master Richard and Miss Rachel, but some other guests have arrived." The old man gave a direct look towards Rachel before adding, "They are looking for you, Miss Rachel."

"For me?"

"Yes," Alfred answered. "They said they are your brothers."

Her… brothers?

"Crap," Rachel quickly got up on her feet and shot a look towards her host. "I have to go."

Richard also stood up and reached out a hand to try to stop her. "Wait! What's wrong?"

"My brothers are here," she answered, as if that should be enough explanation.

"So what? It's fine. They're welcome here." He didn't really see the cause of her panic but he cannot let her go. He didn't want to let her go, not yet.

She saw the confusion in his eyes and the hesitation to let her go but she had to do damage control first. "Thank you for the tea, Prince, but I really have to go. It was a pleasure to meet you."

"No, Rachel, wait!"

But she had all but sped off. Richard didn't waste a moment and quickly ran after her. "Rachel! Wait!"

He rounded a corner after her and stopped. They have reached the receiving area and there, in front of him, was Rachel standing in front of three young men. Her brothers. Before he can inspect them further, one of the men had spotted him.

"Oh, look. There he is."

Rachel turned and met his eyes, while her brothers all directed sharp eyes towards him.

Richard had to fight back a cringe at the piercing stares he was getting. Carefully, he resumed walking towards his guests while subtly analyzing them. All three young men shared similar dark hair and dark eyes, and the siblings all had the same pasty complexion. Richard stopped beside Rachel, who was looking at him with the same uncertain expression she had before, and gave her a gentle smile.

He failed to catch the scowl on the tallest boy's face at the smile he gave his sister. "Richard Wayne."

Richard looked up and met the other boy's dark eyes. "Yes," he reached out a hand for shake.

But the other boy didn't take it. Instead, he raked his dark eyes all over the Gotham prince, inspecting, weighing his worth.

Rachel mentally face-palmed. This was just going to get worse. "Richard," she interrupted. "This is Jared." She disregarded the sharp glare her eldest brother shot at her and gestured towards the other two. "And these are James and Jacob. They are my brothers."

Richard took his hand back after it was just disregarded and gave a mild smile at the brothers. "Welcome to Gotham."

"Thanks," was Jared's cold response.

"So!" James piped up, looking at Richard pointedly. "This is your—"

Rachel jumped and slapped a hand over his mouth. "Friend! This is my friend! Richard, my friend!"

Jacob's eyes glinted with interest at her reaction whereas Jared shot her a questioning look. Before anyone can ask anything else, Rachel continued. "What are you guys doing here, anyway?"

"You were missing from the castle," Jared answered.

"Yeah, you just disappeared." James added after peeling her hand off his mouth. "And your guests went missing, too, so we had to track you down."

"Father is not pleased," Jacob remarked.

Rachel winced at that. "I did not mean to just leave like that. Something came up and I…"

"You ended up in Gotham," Jared supplied in a disapproving tone.

Richard observed the interaction and deduced that whatever happened between Rachel and his men really was a big thing since her brothers – and even her father! – had been involved. It really sucked to be out of the loop.

He glanced at the girl beside him and saw that she was looking back at him, a sorry look in her wide eyes. His gut clenched uncomfortably again. That sorry look doesn't really belong on her fair face.

Before he can stop himself, he had blurted out, "I'm sorry, but it was my fault."

That earned him another piercing stare from Jared. "Of course, it is."

"Jared," Rachel called in a warning tone. "It wasn't his fault. It was mine."

"No, Rachel, it was my fault."

"No, Richard, you don't have to take the blame. We both know it was my fault."

Richard stood straighter and faced her fully. "No, it was my men who brought you here, so it's my fault."

"No," Rachel's eyes hardened in growing aggravation. Why was he always contradicting her? "I chased your men back here so it's clearly my fault."

Richard opened his mouth to counter her again but James suddenly piped up, "Now I can't wait for the wedding."

His thoughts came to a screeching halt. Wedding?

Rachel whipped her head towards her brother with a horrified expression. "There is no wedding!" She all but screeched.

"What wedding?" Richard softly asked, trying to determine if he did hear that correctly.

"No wedding?" James asked.

"It was all a misunderstanding!" Rachel finally let out. "There is no wedding whatsoever so keep your mouth shut and do not make it worse!"

"But what about those men?" Jacob asked.

Rachel let out a weary sigh. She directed her gaze away from Jared and resolutely refused to meet Richard's. "I'll explain everything later on, I promise. Can I just have a moment to say good-bye to Richard? Then we can leave."

Richard felt a lump in his throat at hearing her say the word 'good-bye' but he decided against saying anything and just watched Jared give a stiff nod at his sister. Alfred then appeared and herded the Azarathian princes off to serve them some snacks.

After they were left alone, Rachel gathered herself and looked up to Richard. "I guess I should explain now."

"Yeah," he smirked. "I'm reeeally interested to hear it now."

Rachel clicked her tongue before walking back towards the courtyard where they were having tea before. She needed tea for this humiliation. Richard silently followed her, an impish grin on his face, feeling somehow excited. This should be good.

Both reseated themselves and Richard poured her a fresh cup of tea. Then, taking a deep breath, she proceeded to tell him the whole story between her and his guards.

She told him of their sudden appearance in her court, bearing gifts for her and her father and saying they were from him. She told him of overhearing them accidentally reveal that they really were just there on their own accord, and that they brought the gifts themselves, and that they—

"They were trying to hook you up with me?" Richard asked with a chuckle.

Her eyes almost popped out of their sockets as she gaped at him.

Richard actually meant that as a joke but as he saw the look on her face, he cannot help the warmth that crept up his neck and flood his face. "They were?" He choked out.

Rachel nodded slowly.

Both just stared dumbly at each other before Richard chuckled. "Really?"

"Yeah," she answered weakly, at a loss on how to take his laughter. But she was tired of this, she was tired of getting suspicious or ashamed so she'd just wing it and get this over with. "Yeah, they were. I don't know how they ever thought up of such a silly plan but yeah, that's what they were trying to do."

Richard didn't hold back his laughter. Rachel just watched him apathetically. Of course, he'd think it was funny. He wasn't the one who thought he was getting an offer of marriage. And don't forget Jinx, her brothers, her father, who all probably thought the same. Azar, the amount of explanation she'd have to give when she returned home.

"I'm sorry," Richard finally let out after exhausting his laughter. "I'm sorry for laughing but…"

"Yeah," she answered weakly.

"No, really, I'm sorry." Richard gave her a sincere glance. "I'm sorry for what my men did. I can't say I know exactly what they were thinking but—"

"Its fine," she cut him off.

The Gotham prince kept his eyes on her, various thoughts swirling in his head. Here was a girl brought to him by a weird twist of fate. She was mysterious, interesting, and a good person to talk to. She was beautiful, she was smart, and he'd just love to get to know her better.

"But hey, you can't say their silly plan didn't work."

"Oh?" She quirked an eyebrow. "I can't?"

"Yeah, you can't. We're together now, aren't we?" He flashed a boyish grin as he said that and felt delight at the blush that once again bloomed on her face.

"No, we're not."

Richard's grin only widened at her tart response. "Maybe not in that way… for now."

Rachel fought the urge to squirm at the insinuation. She'd had enough embarrassment for today. "This conversation's over, Prince." As she made to stand up, Richard gave an amused chuckle and quickly clamped a hand over hers.

"Wait, Rae, please."

She felt a tingle in her gut at the moniker he gave her. Rae?

Richard stood beside her now, her hand still held gently in his. He had a gentle, sincere smile on his face. "Stupid plan aside, I'd really like to get to know you better. Can I at least have a chance to be a friend?"

Rachel felt her heart skip a beat at the look on the boy's face. This was the last thing she expected after everything. She looked down at their connected hands and the girly part of her mind gave a squeal in delight. She looked back at his blue eyes, looked deeply into their genuine depths and offered a smile. "Okay."

"Okay," Richard mimicked breathlessly.

And for a moment, he two just remained like that, holding hands, lost in each other's eyes.

"AHEM."

Their heads whipped to the direction of the sound and there were her brothers, all watching at the display.

Rachel quickly disentangled her hand from Richard's and leveled a glare at Jared, who was obviously displeased at what he was seeing.

"I take it you have said you good-byes," her brother stated.

She wanted to roll her eyes at his attitude but she was beneath that. "Yes, I have."

"Good. Let's go."

"Aw, c'mon, Jared. You totally ruined their moment." James whined teasingly. "What a killjoy."

The eldest brother turned to level a glare at James and Rachel figured this was going to end up in something blowing up if she didn't put a stop to this. Something always blows up whenever all of them are in the room. "Enough, you guys."

"You'll turn her into a spinster with that overprotectiveness of yours," James continued to mumble under his breath.

"Quiet, you." Jared snapped.

"Okay, okay, let's go!" Rachel interrupted.

With that, the three brothers turned and walked ahead. Rachel let out a huff before looking back at Richard. "Thank you for having us."

"Anytime," was his ready answer. Then he stepped up beside her and offered the crook of his arm to her. Rachel gently laced her arm with his and let him lead her to the exit.

"So," Richard began as they neared the exit. "You think I can visit Azarath some time?"

She gave him a curious sideways glance. He flashed a grin and added, "I'll bring honest gifts this time, ones that are actually from me. I'd even bring one for your dad."

She chuckled at his offer. "If you send your guards again, they won't be getting out of my castle with everything intact."

Richard laughed at her threat. "I'll personally come. I swear."

"You better," she mumbled under her breath.

The night ended with Richard waving goodbye to her as she rode away with her brothers, the memory of her blushing face embedded on his mind.

In one of the columns in the front of the castle, four figures huddled, watching the prince watch the departing princess.

"I think things went well," Victor commented.

"I think so, too." Wally nodded in agreement.

"Yeah," Roy whispered from his perch atop Wally. "I think he's taken to her."

"So the plan worked?"

Victor turned to Gar with a beaming smile. "Hell, yeah, it did!"

"So… Boo-yah?"

Victor jumped and pumped a fist in the air. "BOO-YA'LL!"

The four went on congratulating each other for a job sort-of-well-done. They didn't notice a figure approaching them until said figure cleared his throat and the four froze on their spots.

"Gentlemen," Richard's cool voice came. "What's the celebration about?"

Four heads rigidly turned and met Richard's cool eyes.

"Uh," Victor started. "We were just…"

"We were…"

"We, uh…"

"Uh…"

"I know it all, men." Richard stated. "Rachel told me what you did."

"Your Highness, wait, we really meant no harm about it." Victor tried to defend, hoping his prince wouldn't be too miffed about the match-making scheme.

Richard maintained his cool expression. "You didn't get to properly apologize to her."

"Y-Yeah," Vic scratched at his head sheepishly. "We didn't."

Richard clicked his tongue. "Seriously, guys. I don't know what you were thinking with that stunt you pulled."

"We really meant no harm, Your Highness." Garfield timidly said.

"And you, Roy? Wally? What's your excuse? I didn't even know you guys were here in Gotham."

Roy's grin was unrepentant. "No excuse, really."

"No regrets, either." Wally added.

Richard clicked his tongue again. "Whatever." He turned his gaze towards the direction of the path out of the castle again, towards the direction where the Azarathian princess left. "But… I must say," he turned his head towards the men, now with a pleased grin on his face. "You did good, guys. You did very good."

It took a moment for Victor to digest the meaning of his prince's words but before he can say anything, Richard added. "Off to bed with all of you, now. We're setting off early tomorrow."

Victor's confusion doubled at the younger man's mysterious words. "We are? Where to?"

Richard shot him a smirk. "Azarath."

"Azarath?"

"Yep," Richard popped the 'p' at the end of the word before turning his back towards the stunned young men. "I promised her I'd visit her and you all owe her an apology, so, we're going there tomorrow." Then he turned back and gestured to Roy and Wally, "You two, too. Your guest quarters have been prepared. Get a good rest, guys." And without preamble, Richard walked off, leaving four gawping boys behind him.

Roy was the first to recover. "I'll say the plan worked too well."

"Too well, indeed."

 **~FIN**

 **Gueeessst (Guest):** Thank you for the support! I'm glad you liked Chapter 4. I'm not too confident about my comedy skills but I tried to be as funny as I can afford, hehe. I hope I did fine.

 **toonamifan666:** Oohhh, another curious mind about Wally, hehe. In my mind, as a backstory of sorts, Wally had already met Rachel more than once before, from his visits to Azarath with his uncle. And I guess I could safely say that Wally likes Rachel, but not quite in a romantic way. And Wally, being the sweet guy that he is, would not stand for anyone disrespecting Rachel, thus, his outburst against Garfield in Chapter 3. I actually kind of wanted to insert this backstory snippet but *sigh* the story refuses to adapt to the insert and it's quite lengthy already hehe. This whole thing was supposed to be just three chappies max but there I went and got carried away.

 **Ember Reverie:** Yes, gods, I love JayRae! Have you read the Hopes for a Bastard series by BlubooThalassophile? I'm pretty sure you have. EPIC, right? Haha! You have been a loyal supporter of this story from the start and I would like to take this chance to say, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. Your support means a lot to me.

 **giseky01:** Hello! Your review on Chapter 4 really tickled me. You said that chapter made you have to follow the story. I could just imagine Chapter 4 either seducing you (fishnet stockings and all) or having you at gun-point, haha! But thank you so much for liking it enough to follow it!

 **Meee (Guest):** Ahahaha! Oh, you and your funny reviews. Now that this tale has ended, I'd totally miss your YAAAAAS-ing and WHOOP-ing! You have been with my story from beginning until now and your loyal support has given me much enthusiasm to write this story. Thank you very much.

 **Zaacna:** Hi! I cannot help but read your review on Chapter 4 over and over and over again, teehee! I am very flattered. *blushes* I know my writing skills still has room for improvement but I am pleased that you like my style. Sadly, this tale has ended but worry not. I will be back with another.

 **Guest:** Awww, thanks! I'm glad you liked how I had them meet. It was actually one of the first scenes I had planned out before I started to type the story. The Birds have always been serious characters in their canon roles so I thought it'd be fun to have them misbehave a little, neh? Haha! Thank you for reading!

 **Stoic-Wookie00:** Hey, there. Your review seemed… hesitant. Haha! But we're cool, right? Thank you for giving my story a chance, though. And the fact that you spared some time to drop me a note means a lot. Sadly, this is the end of the line for this tale. Still, I hope I did it justice. Tell me what you think, k?

 **ENDING NOTE: Hey, guys! ROYAL WOES is done. Once again, thank you to all for the support and the reviews and the Favorites and the Alerts. It has been most enjoyable! Let's do this again sometime, okay? I wish everyone a blissful and exciting new year. See ya'll around!**

 **PS:** Reviews for the ending would still be nice. Thanks!


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